Psalm 30 is another psalm attributed to or connected with
David in some way. The Hebrew ledavid can mean ‘by’, ‘about, ‘for’
or ‘dedicated to’ David so it is possible that it is part of a collection
of psalms thought to be associated with the great. The psalm also carries
the unusual addition to the superscription ‘A Song at the dedication of
the temple.’ The sense of this is not transparent as the psalm itself does
not mention the temple at all. It is written in the first person, and looks
like an individual song of thanksgiving for recovery from some ‘weakness
unto death’, possibly some grave illness. However, some scholars believe
that the ‘dedication of the temple’ mentioned in the superscription could
refer to the purification of the Temple by Judas Maccabaeus (1 Macc. 4:42ff.)
which took place in the second century BCE, long after David’s time. The
temple had been desecrated by Seleucid invaders. If that is the case, the
‘individual’ in the psalm has become the community, delivered of grave
difficulty or weakness, and now restored. The psalm is then a ritual thanksgiving
for the deliverance of the nation.

The psalm itself is written in four parts and we will
read it as an individual thanksgiving. Even if it was used for a rededication
of the temple late in Old Testament times, it was likely a psalm used by
many individuals giving thanks well before that.

In the first part (vv. 1-3) there is praise of God and
thanksgiving that the psalmist has been restored to life. The reference
to ‘healing’ suggests a background of perhaps weakness or illness or injury
of some kind. However, the use of metaphorical language following, of being
‘brought up from Sheol’ and having been ‘restored to life from among those
who go down to the Pit’ (v. 3), would allow the psalm to be applied to
any situation in which life seemed threatened thus suggesting some metaphorical
sense of ‘healing’. It may even be that the psalmist had experienced a
loss of the former ‘good times’ they speak about in v. 6.The fact is that
we simply cannot locate this psalm in any particular context, let alone
one of illness. It is clear, however, that the psalmist ‘lost’ everything
at some stage and was brought to despair before recovery was experienced.

In the second part (vv. 4-5), relief and joy are written
loudly and clearly between the lines. The psalmist invites others to join
them in praise of God (v. 4). Faith in a God who will not forsake them
is renewed. The psalmist does not deny God’s displeasure or ‘anger’ as
they put it, but that is always overwhelmed by God’s ‘favour’. The former
may last a moment; the latter ‘is for a lifetime’ (v. 5). Suffering and
desolation may come, but it will not last forever: ‘Joy comes with the
morning’ (v. 5b).

The third part of the psalm (vv. 6-10) is a little more
ambiguous in its expression, and perhaps deliberately so. In vv. 6-7 the
psalmist looks back to the time before the affliction when they experienced
prosperity and full strength: ‘you had established me as a strong mountain’
(v. 7). Then things went wrong (v. 7b). The psalmist feels that God’s face
is now hidden from them. They cannot understand why all of this has happened.
After all, in their strength they felt they were invincible: ‘I shall never
be moved’. It is not clear whether this is an expression of self reliance
and that the psalmist had somehow forgotten the source of their strength,
or whether they had presumed too much on God’s keeping them strong. In
any case, the psalmist doesn’t know why they are abandoned and why they
should ‘go down to the Pit’ (v. 9). They simply feel forsaken and cry to
God for an explanation.

The expression in vv. 8-9 is also ambiguous. The Hebrew
verb is such that in its poetic circumstance it could refer to a past action,
i.e. the psalmist in their prosperity called to God proclaiming that any
diminution of their situation would not help, or it could be that the psalmist
presently cries for God’s help out of difficulties that have overtaken
the former prosperity. It could also be that the ambiguity is itself important.
Thus, whether we cry to God from prosperity or from difficulty the result
would be the same. What comes through in the psalm is not so much the ‘arm
twisting’ that could be seen in v. 9 but the point in v. 10, that our only
help comes from God, whether we are people of abundant resources or stripped
of all self-reliance.

The fourth part of the psalm (vv. 11-12) is a full return
to the joy of recovery and restoration. The time close to the ‘Pit’ is
characterized by ‘mourning’ for the life and the purpose that had gone
before, when the psalmist felt held in God’s favour. That time of mourning
is now over. The psalmist sings with exultation: ‘you have taken off my
sackcloth and clothed me with joy’ (v. 11). Finally, they make a promise
to God of giving thanks ‘forever’ (v. 12).

The final mood of the psalm is of singing and dancing
in praise of God, with the psalmist’s flash-back providing the reason for
the joy. This psalm may have been part of a liturgy involving ritual dancers
in Maccabaean times, expressing the joy of deliverance from what looked
like certain death as a nation. Whether the speaker is an individual or
the nation, the joy in this psalm is an expression of great relief after
deliverance from sadness or despair. Genuine joy can only come after belief
that ‘all is lost’. After the sadness, comes joy. The response is to praise
God forever! (v. 12)

Psalm 30 is a superb accompaniment to the Gospel reading
from John 21:1-19 set down for Easter 3. In the scene on the beach the
disciples of Jesus are overwhelmed with joy on their realisation that Jesus
lives. After their deep despair over his death, and on the apparent death
of all for which he stood, suddenly there comes deliverance. He lives on.
After the crucifixion, comes resurrection. He is risen. They too can go
on – forever.

Suggestions for the use of the psalm in worship:

Several verses form this psalm can be used throughout
worship. Verse 10 could well form a congregational response during the
prayer
of confession:

Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O
LORD, be my helper!"

Verses 4-5 could then form the introduction to the declaration
of forgiveness following confession:

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful
ones,and give thanks to his holy name.For his anger is but for a moment;his favor is for a lifetime.Weeping may linger for the night,but joy comes with the morning.I proclaim to you in the name of Jesus Christ,‘Your sins are forgiven!’ Thanks
be to God.

Finally v. 11 can be used, with some minor modifications
to incorporate the whole congregation, as the introduction to the blessing
at the conclusion of the service:

God has turned our mourning into dancing;God has taken off our sackclothand clothed us with joy,and the blessing of God,Father, Son and Holy Spirit,is with us, and remains with us,now and forever. Amen